They commemorated the event with a march through Woking followed by a service at the Town Square. Rod Fraser, secretary and ceremonial officer of the Royal Naval Association, said: “It was a terrific day.” The 150 marchers set off from the ex-servicemen’s club in Maybury led by 35 standards from the various veterans’ associations. They went down roads closed off especially for the occasion, walking to naval marches provided by the British Airways band. Among the other gathered organisations were the Royal British Legion, the Merchant Navy Association and the Normandy Veterans’ Association. Mr Fraser said: “We marched along with our heads up and our chests out. We don’t separate the groups, we all march together. “All the standards from the different organisations march at the front of the procession.” A parade and service in the Town Square led by Rev Barry Grimster followed the march. Mr Fraser added: “We sang hymns and prayers such as Nelson's Prayer and the Naval version of Psalm 21.” Then Mayor of Woking Cllr Ian Johnson placed a wreath at the war memorial and also took the salute on the march back to the ex-servicemen’s club. After this there was a reception at the club. Mr Fraser said: “The battle is looked upon as the most important battle in the Royal Navy's history in terms of the tactics used and what it achieved.” The RNA will be marking the official anniversary this weekend with a dinner at Woking Leisure Centre on Saturday at 7pm. Trafalgar not only preserved the security of the country but by vanquishing the French and Spanish forces ensured Britain’s naval supremacy for more than a century. At 3.30pm on October 21, 1805, Rear Admiral Viscount Horatio Nelson lay dying below deck on board the Royal Navy’s flagship Victory, knowing he and his fleet had done their duty for England. Earlier that day, to ensure this loyalty, a message was hoisted, stating: “England expects that every man will do his duty.” In the battle that ensued, the Royal Navy’s 27 ships of the line, the most powerful naval battleships of the day, faced 33 Franco-Spanish vessels commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte’s Rear Admiral Pierre-Charles De Villeneuve. Using tactics never tried before, Nelson organised his fleet into two lines. The first led by the Victory sailed head-on into the enemy fleet with the aim of crippling De Villeneuve’s flagship Bucentaure and leaving the foreign force leaderless. This succeeded, Villeneuve surrendered, enabling the second column led by Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood to decimate the rest of the Franco-Spanish fleet. But while the Victory was embroiled in battle at close quarters with the French ship Redoubtable at 1.15pm, Nelson was shot with the lead ball shearing through his lung and into his spine. Nelson was taken below decks where he died — but not before he muttered: “Thank God I have done my duty.” Nelson wanted to sink 20 enemy ships; his men sunk 19.